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Held Prisoner by Golden Handcuffs?


Hate your job—AND you make tons of money? Big money and attractive perks leave many people feeling trapped.  Sure, a lot of people would LOVE to have your problem, but that doesn't make it easier.

 If you're if the grip of the golden handcuffs--and you want out--let's talk.  847 673 0339.

Consider David, a bank executive who came to see us.  After an exciting and meteoric rise to senior executive, the work stopped being interesting.  He wasn't challenged, he watched the clock a lot, and he felt trapped.

When he was in college, David wanted to be a therapist, but his dad discouraged him.  His dad meant well.  He thought that banking would provide more financial security.    

Now, many years later, David realized it had been a long time since he enjoyed his job.  He also didn't enjoy the people, as they didn't share his interests.  He desperately wanted out, but he loved the lifestyle the money bought him.  

We told David that he could make about the same money as a therapist in private practice, but it would take years to build a lucrative practice.  It might have been an option for him when he was younger, but it was too late now.

We gave him two possible escape routes--neither one was easy.

1) Work for financial independence
Some people say that you should follow your passion and the money will follow.  Instead, we said, he could get the money now, and then do what he wanted later.

He could cut back on his expenses, do some astute investing and reach "financial independence."  When you're financially independent, working for pay becomes an option.  You have enough to pay your expenses without the income from a paid job.   At this point, he could choose to work where he wanted--for pay or as a volunteer--or choose not to work.

2) Seek out other opportunities
Another route would be to explore within banking and finance, perhaps outside of it, to find work that was interesting.  Rather than being a high-level bureaucrat, he could take on a major role in a smaller company, perhaps even negotiating equity in the firm.  He could potentially earn more in the long term, but it would mean less short-term money.

I'm sorry to say that David didn't make a move.  Last we heard from him, he was still bored, unhappy, and stuck.  What are you going to do?

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Categories: Career Development
 

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